Qing Miao

Qing Miao is an Assistant Professor of Public Policy at RIT. Her research areas include environmental economics and policy with a particular focus on climate risks and adaptation, science and technology policy, and public finance. Her current work seeks to understand the motivation and implication of technological change in the area of climate adaptation, how societies and public organizations manage the risks of extreme weather and climatic interruptions, and the fiscal impacts of natural hazards on subnational governments. Her research informs policy on climate adaptation, disaster aid, and emergency management.

Qing holds a PhD in Public Administration from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs of Syracuse University. Prior to joining RIT, she was a post-doctoral fellow in the Center for Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy Studies at Arizona State University. Qing received a Master of Public Policy from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor and a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Nanjing University in China.

Dr. Miao’s current research is focused on understanding how extreme weather, natural disasters, and climate change inform public policy. As part of this work, she is examining the effects of natural disasters on government finances, including public expenditures, tax revenues, and debt in both developed and developing contexts. Through this research, Dr. Miao is answering critical questions related to how we should evaluate the fiscal costs of natural disasters and how various levels of government should share the cost burden of these disasters. She is also identifying the impact of government disaster aid on individual behaviors and community resilience.

In another research project, Dr. Miao is exploring what factors influence how transit agencies develop their responses to extreme weather events and deal with these events when they occur. By doing so, she is providing new insight into the role that infrastructure and technology adaptation play in the ability of transit agencies to respond to extreme weather effectively.

Additionally, Dr. Miao is researching technological change as a response to climate change mitigation and adaptation. Her work involves identifying novel ways in which technological innovation and public policy interventions can serve to limit the adverse social impacts of climate change. ​